Paper Silver Wharf
Paper Silver Wharf: a soft neutral split complementary palette of #9AA3BE, #ADB3D5, #DCC4B1, #D8E4C2, #E4EEFF. Light, balanced and effortless; best contrast 2.15:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on purple, beige, green, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.15:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Old World#9AA3BE
A light, muted blue (Old World) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Over the Moon#ADB3D5
A light, muted blue (Over the Moon) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Muddy Rose#DCC4B1
A light, muted pink (Muddy Rose) that brings softness and care. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Frost#D8E4C2
A very light, muted yellow (Frost) that brings a bright, hopeful note. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Veiling Waterfalls#E4EEFF
A very light, neutral blue (Veiling Waterfalls) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.51:1Poor 1/5
- On black17.97:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly97% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Dusty Rose | Text | #9AA3BE | 72% |
| ≈ Silver | Primary | #ADB3D5 | 77% |
| ≈ Silver | Surface | #DCC4B1 | 84% |
| ≈ Beige | Accent | #D8E4C2 | 90% |
| ≈ White | Background | #E4EEFF | 95% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #14192D for text.
:root {
--color-background: #e4eeff;
--color-surface: #dcc4b1;
--color-primary: #adb3d5;
--color-accent: #d8e4c2;
--color-text: #14192d;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #e4eeff;
--color-surface: #dcc4b1;
--color-primary: #adb3d5;
--color-accent: #d8e4c2;
--color-ink: #14192d;
}
About this palette
Paper Silver Wharf is palette number 17,502 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Silver (#ADB3D5), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as light, balanced and effortless. Its colors run from White (#E4EEFF) at the light end to Dusty Rose (#9AA3BE) at the dark end, covering 72% to 95% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Dusty Rose #9AA3BE: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.041.
2. ≈ Silver #ADB3D5: suggested role primary. It is a violet color with 77% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
3. ≈ Silver #DCC4B1: suggested role surface. It is a orange color with 84% lightness and a chroma of 0.038.
4. ≈ Beige #D8E4C2: suggested role accent. It is a green color with 90% lightness and a chroma of 0.047.
5. ≈ White #E4EEFF: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 95% lightness and a chroma of 0.025, so it behaves like a neutral.
Harmony and structure
One hue is paired with the two hues flanking its opposite. You keep most of the energy of a complementary scheme with less tension and more variety.
In this palette the hues fall in the blue, violet, orange and green families, spread across 217 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Soft neutral palettes keep chroma between 0.01 and 0.05, and lightness between 72% and 96%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 1 of its 4 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.04 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks and stationery, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel light, balanced and effortless.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Dusty Rose (#9AA3BE) with White (#E4EEFF) at a contrast ratio of 2.15:1, which is below the WCAG AA minimum of 4.5:1. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 0 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#E4EEFF), so this page suggests #14192D for text, a darkened Dusty Rose that reaches 14.89:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #D8E4C2 and #E4EEFF may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #E4EEFF as the background, #DCC4B1 for cards and surfaces, #ADB3D5 as the primary brand color, #D8E4C2 as the accent, and #14192D for text (a computed darker shade of Dusty Rose, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Use the lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
Typical uses for a soft neutral palette include minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Paper Silver Wharf accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.15:1 (#9AA3BE on #E4EEFF). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Silver (#ADB3D5) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps, where a light, balanced and effortless feel works well.